The need for a pavement patching vehicle has been recognized for a number of years. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,949 to Gabriel, Jr. The Gabriel patent shows a vehicle having a supply hopper mounted along one side. The supply hopper, used to hold a quantity of asphalt, can be lowered to allow a dump truck to dump asphalt or other patching material into it through its open top. After this is done, the supply hopper is lifted to a raised position for transport and use.
The Gabriel vehicle has a distribution hopper mounted to the end of a remotely controlled arm extending from the front of the vehicle. The arm has a pair of articulated joints which allow the hopper to be positioned over a range of positions by the vehicle operator. The distribution hopper, which has an open top, is filled by placing it under the forward end of the supply hopper. The supply hopper has an auger in it which drives the asphalt forward to be discharged through a downwardly facing opening and into the underlying distribution hopper. The asphalt in the supply hopper is kept warm by the use of a flame inside the auger tube.
After being filled, the operator of the Gabriel vehicle moves the distribution hopper over an area to be repaired and remotely operates a door at the bottom of the distribution hopper, allowing a desired amount of asphalt to be deposited onto the roadway. A remotely controlled tamper, mounted to the distribution hopper, tamps the asphalt in place.